If you saw $9 million lying on the sidewalk, would you pick it up?
What’s that? You can’t be bothered? What if you were $15.1 million in the red, would you be willing to bend a little then?
If you’ve paid even cursory attention to the headlines, you know St. Paul Public Schools finds itself in the midst of a painful community discussion over the 2016-2017 budget deficit. With the fat long gone, the Board of Education and district administration are now looking at cleaving into the meat of the school day.
All of which begs the only slightly sarcastic question above. Because $9 million in potential state aid is being left on the table because the St. Paul Federation of Teachers would prefer other budget-balancing measures. Continue reading